The Softer Sound
by IamtheSatansmistress
Summary: Zasha, a former freedom fighter with a bad scar works at the Black Dragon Fighting Society, a bar on the outskirts of Ba Sing Se. When Zuko & Iroh find her & her lowly gang of misfits & wolves, will their personalities clash or will sparks fly? ZukoxOC
1. Prologue

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PROLOGUE

"Zaza! Take a look at this!" Jet called from across the tree house. Zasha got up and sauntered over to him.

"What's the hub-bub?" she asked, peering over his armored shoulder. He handed the pair of make shift binoculars he had been holding and she looked through them. At ounce the raven-haired girl spotted the young boy in Fire Nation colors strolling through the forest. She looked over to Jet, wearing a sly smirk.

"Looks like he has a lot to carry." He said, raising an eyebrow.

"We should lighten his load." She winked.

**********A/N********  
Hey everybody! This is my second Zuko fanfic. I usually like to workon more than one story at a time. That way I can bounce from one to another because I have ADHD like that. Enjoy!**


	2. Chapter 1: The Girl With The Whip

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CHAPTER ONE: The Girl With The Whip

A YEAR LATER

Zuko and Iroh sat inside the teashop. Iroh was working on closing and locking up. Zuko sat at a table, slouching and twirling a slightly bent spoon in between his fingers. As Iroh put away the last of the teacups, he noticed how down Zuko was looking.

"Zuko, your looking quite bored. Why don't you go explore the city?" he asked sympathetically. Zuko rolled his eyes and dropped the spoon on the table with a small_ clink!_

"There isn't much else to do outside the shop either." He huffed. But it was too late; Iroh was shoving him out the door, wishing him to have a good time.

Once outside, Zuko rolled his amber eyes again and stuffed his hands in his pockets. _Might as well take a stroll while I'm out here_, he thought, knowing Iroh probably wouldn't let him back in until much later. He began to walk the vacant streets of Ba Sing Se. The outer wall wasn't the safest place to walk around at night, but the young prince didn't feel troubled. He kicked at the pebbles on the yellow dirt road and starred at the heaps of trash piled up against the walls of shops and houses. Damp clothing hung on twine wire across the rooftops, drying in the cool night air.

Nobody was awake; nobody was outside except for the black pygmy pumas and the other alley vermin. Zuko could've sworn he heard somebody sneak past him in the shadows.

"Who's there?" he barked, his voice echoing in the darkness. Nobody answered. Zuko shook his head and kept walking, figuring he was just being paranoid.

Once again, he thought he'd heard somebody or something behind him. He whipped around, instantly on guard and ready for a fight.

"Show yourself!" he shouted into the seemingly empty alleyway. The sound bounced and echoed off the walls until it disappeared. There was no more sound except for that of the wind whistling in the streets. He stood still, watching the night with an eye as watch full as a falcon. He stood like this for a few minutes, making sure that he was in fact alone. When the coast seemed clear, he let his guard down.

Big mistake.

"OOF!" the prince grunted as somebody slammed into him. The person had charged at him from the left side, colliding with him and knocking him all the way from where he was standing and into the very back of the alley on his right. Without stopping for more than a second, the mystery person flicked a long whip around a pipe and scaled the wall, dragging Zuko by the shirt.

He looked up to see it was a girl who had attacked him. He was so shocked by what had happened, he didn't think to fight back. She dragged him onto the roof and threw him to the ground before making some sort of howling noise into the night. Another howl, varying slightly from her own, was returned by somebody on another rooftop.

"Who are you? What are you doing?" Zuko spat, trying to catch his breath. He stood up and finally got a good look at his capture. She was wearing a sleek black shirt that ended at her midriff with a matching skirt. The garments revealed porcelain skin and numerous black tattoos, swirling and winding like vines over her body. Her hair was so black it looked almost blue and the right side of her face was marked with a long, slender scar that slid from her eyebrow to her chin. Her right eye, caught in the middle of the scar, was a vacant and clouded orb of nothing.

"I'm Zasha. I'm mugging you." She explained in a voice as sharp as wormwood tea. "Give me your money." She ordered, cracking the long whip her hand. Zuko was surprised and shocked and didn't move. She cracked the whip again.

"I don't have any money!" he said honestly. She glared at him with her mismatched eyes and pursed lips.

"Come with me." she snapped, grabbing his wrist. She pulled him down the ladder on the side of the building they were on. She dragged him for a short distance to what looked like a run down house. The windows were broken and the door was hanging off on its hinges. She yanked him inside.

The place was anything was run down inside. Three people had a fire going in the middle of the room. There were two other voices chatting in another room. And Zuko heard numerous footsteps coming from the upstairs.

"Cho! Come 'ere and see what I found slinking around our turf!" Zasha shouted. Another girl with thick brown pigtails and a short, tattered red dress came in from the other room. She was wearing a scowl on her face and the others stopped talking to look up.

"Well, well, well. What do ya know? Another refugee, eh?" Cho speculated, eyeing him from head to toe. "Hey! I know you!" A wave of terror fell over Zuko. "Your that kid who stole Song's ostrich-horse!" Relief was a very sweet thing.

"You know Song?" was all he could think to say at this point.

"We work at the clinic together." Cho said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Why'd ya bring this punk in here Za?" she asked, turning to Zasha.

"I tried to mug him, but he didn't have any money. But look at him. Something isn't quite right." She explained, the lines of her face creasing into a scowl.

"Think he could be useful?" Cho asked. Zuko was getting agitated. He didn't like the way they were talking, like he wasn't even there.

"I dunno. I think he looks kind of soft." Zasha said, rubbing her chin.

"Hey, I am not soft!" he butted in. the two girls turned their attention back to the fuming prince.

"Okay, okay. No need to get snippy." Cho said, waving away his temper with her hand. "What happened to you leg?" she said, bending down and squinting. Zuko looked down. There was a rather large scrape and rip in his pants on his left leg. He must've got it when Zasha jumped him. It wasn't paining him, but it looked quite bad.

"Za, take care of him. I have to go meet Chitter Bug." Cho said, patting Zasha on the back. Zasha rolled her eyes, but nodded and led Zuko to the other room.

It was a kitchen. Most of the cabinets didn't have doors on them and the ones that did had scorch marks and holes in them. There was no sink, just a gaping hole on the counter. She shoved Zuko into a chair and went to a cabinet with a door on it and brought out a bottle and some gauze wrap. She kneeled on the ground in front of him and poured some of the liquid in the bottle on his scrape. It stung and bubble, causing Zuko to cringe.

"Sorry about the stinging. It kills germs." She apologized, wrapping the wound tightly in the white gauze. "There, good as new." She said when she'd finished.

"Uh, thanks." Zuko said, scratching his head.

"So who are you and what brings you to Ba Sing Se?" she asked, sitting cross-legged on a chair next to him.

"I'm Lee. My uncle and I have a tea shop not far from here." He lied. She nodded. "What about you?" he asked, curious to know more about this girl. She sighed heavily before answering.

"It's a very long and very complicated story; one I don't care to speak of at this time." She said firmly. Zuko didn't pry any further.

"Who's Chitter Bug?" he asked, changing the subject. Zasha smirked and chuckled softly.

"She's part of our club here. We're all Fire Nation refugees. Some of us are fire benders, but most of us aren't. We're all either orphans or runaways." She explained.

"Are you a fire bender?" he asked, curiosity growing. She shook her head. "So you're a gang?"

"Something like that. People call us nare-do-wells, disposable, but my favorite nickname would have to be the Sleek Slayers." She shrugged.

"Its getting pretty late, I should get you home before your uncle starts worrying about you." She said after a few minutes. The stood up and walked from the kitchen to the living room. a few boys a girl ill clad in mock army uniforms sat around the fire in the middle of the floor, singing and chanting to one another.

"Zaza! Where are ya goin'? Don't you wanna join in?" asked a small girl with a voice like that of a frog.

"I can't right now. I gotta walk this dude home. Wouldn't want him to get hurt all by himself now would I?" she teased, making Zuko's temper flair. He was about to object when she grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled him out the door.

"What was that about?" he scowled as they walked the streets.

"What?" she asked, looking genuinely confused. Zuko rolled his eyes and led the way.

"I know who you are, Zuko…" Zasha mumbled darkly after they turned a corner.

"What? How?" he snapped, worry consuming him.

"Psh, how could I forget that face? Your hair looks quite different now, but I could never forget such a face." she said, looking at him coyly. He was speechless. This was it, he would have to be on the run again.

"I won't tell anybody though. They'd probably kill you if they found out. I wouldn't want that." She promised. Zuko still felt very, very concerned.

"How do I know your not lying?" he asked when they reached the outside of the teashop. She stood on tiptoe, as if she meant to kiss Zuko. He stood stalk still, but instead she simply moved her lips nearer to his ear and whispered-

"I can help you find what you're looking for. Come find me." she breathed deftly, causing a shiver to run down Zuko's spine. He blinked at her and watched her as she printed off into the night, her silhouette scaling buildings before it disappeared into the darkness.

"Who was that girl you were with?" Iroh asked suggestively as Zuko reentered the shop. He walked by in a slight daze.

"She's going to help us find the Avatar." He said, a satisfied smirk spreading over his face. Iroh frowned in disappointment, but said nothing. And just when he thought his nephew was over coming such difficulties.


	3. Chapter 2: Home Life

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CHAPTER TWO: Home Life

Zasha awoke earlier than usual the next morning. She glanced around the dorm. All her friends and recruits were still fast asleep. She looked to her feet to see her bear-wolf, Nala, looking at her with expectant blue eyes.

"Haha, okay Nala baby. Mommy will feed you." She chuckled quietly. She dressed and pulled her hair into a ponytail, being careful not to wake anybody. Nala stayed glued to her side all the while. While she perfected her hair, Zasha glanced down at her loyal friend.

"You sure are getting big." She mumbled. Nala seemed to smile and smacked Zasha's legs with a paw like that of a small bear's. After Zasha finished getting ready, she and Nala headed downstairs to get breakfast. Much to Zasha's surprise, Cho was already at the table.

"What are you doing up so early?" she sneered, folding her arms over her chest. Zasha sighed and poured out some food for Nala.

"You know I have to visit Nani and Koda today," she said firmly, referring to her grandmother and younger brother.

"I wonder if that's all your doing." Cho scoffed.

"Hey, I don't pester you when you go to work at the clinic." Zasha snapped. Cho rolled her eyes and stalked out of the room. Zasha flopped into the chair next to her and ran her fingers through Nala's thick, black coat.

The sun was sweltering and bright as they stepped out into the lively streets. People glared as the two strolled by peacefully. Zasha ignored the hateful glances and merchants trying to sell her things that she had no use for.

"You should put that mutt on a leash." Somebody jarred. Narrowing her eyes, Zasha turned to face the offender.

"You should put a muzzle on your mouth." She said loudly. She reached down and grasped her whip. With a quick flick of her wrist, she cracked it loudly over the pavement. People moved out of her way as quickly as they could the rest of the way.

"Nani! Let me in!" Zasha hollered, pounding on the stone door with her balled fist. Nala made a whining noise and looked up obediently at her master.

"Coming deary!" called the wobbly and old voice of her grandmother. There was a few seconds filled with the sound of numerous heavy locks clinking and then the door swung open revealing an old women with large glasses and a wiry gray bun on top of her head.

"Zasha, it's so good to see you. You know you hardly ever come by anymore." Nani grinned, ushering her grand daughter inside the tiny rock house.

"I was here just last week." Zasha reminded her. Nani was becoming more and more forgetful with her old age. This made Zasha worry intensely.

"Oh, I must've been thinking about the delivery boy." Nani shrugged, leading her into the living room. "KODA! GET YOU BUTT DOWN HERE!" Nani called up the steps. Zasha sat down on the raggedy couch and Nala sat by her knee.

"Still taking care of that dog are you?" Nani asked sarcastically. She wasn't much of an animal person.

"She's not a dog, she's a wolf." Zasha corrected. Nani was about to say something, but the loud thumping of Koda's footsteps as he thundered down the stairs filled the room.

"Za!" he shouted excitedly as he jumped off the last two stairs and sprinted to his sisters side. Zasha pulled the thirteen-year-old into a warm embrace and ruffled his nappy black hair.

"You brought Nala." He smiled, kneeling next to the gigantic dog. He scratched her ears and mussed up her hair.

"Of course I did. She's my partner in crime. How have you been doing kiddo?" Zasha asked, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Everything is fine." He shrugged, sitting next to her on the couch.

"Good. Keep your grades up. Don't turn out like me." she joked, but with a serious note. Koda laughed and shook his head. "So are you two okay on food and such?" she asked. Financial trouble was a regular occurrence with this family.

"Yes, I think we'll have enough to last for another week or so." Nani confirmed. Zasha looked at Koda and he nodded.

"Do you two want some lunch? Maybe some tea?" Nani asked, smiling at the close siblings. Zasha grimaced and shook her head.

"Sorry, but I can't stay too long. I have to get to work." She apologized, lowering her head as not to see the disappointed glare coming from Nani.

"At that blasted bar? Or will you be out robbing people this time?" she scolded.

"Nani, you know it isn't like that. I do _not_ steal from people." She said sternly. Koda twiddled his thumbs nervously, secretly wishing that they could just get along for more than a few minutes. _You think that after all they've done for each other, they would be nicer to one another_ he thought.

"Not anymore. But old habits die hard." Nani said, pushing a cruel reminder of her old life back into her head. Zasha balled her fists and knitted her brow.

"I'm sorry that I have two jobs to take care of you and Koda. I'm sorry that I can't do everything around here!" She said sarcastically. She was the main source of income for everybody. Nani had been a hairdresser, but she was far too old and her arthritis had gotten the best of her. They still had some money left in Nani's savings, but it was quickly running out. It was a lot of responsibility for a seventeen-year-old girl to handle. It was a big burden to carry, but she knew it was what she had to do.

"I'm sorry too. I'm sorry that I am raising your mother's child while you run around like a wild girl!" Nani countered. Zasha had had enough. She stood up and beckoned Nala to follow her. She marched outside and Koda followed her.

"Koda, I am so sorry. I know this is tough on you, but things will work out, I promise." Zasha said, her eyes growing hot and prickly as she stared at the face of her disappointed little brother.

"I know that this is what you have to do. I'm sorry Nani is so tough on you." He said, bowing his head. Zasha caught his chin in her hand and made him look at her.

"Hey, I don't want you to worry about Nani and me. Okay? I don't want you blaming yourself. We disagree sometimes, but we still love each other." Zasha said firmly, looking into Koda's big silver eyes.

"You sound like mom." He said flatly. Zasha's face fell. Her mother used to talk that way whenever her and father fought.

"Listen to me, I love you. I love you more than anything." She said, hugging him very tightly.

"I love you too. When are you coming back?" he asked when she pulled away. She bit her lip sadly.

"I don't know. But tell Nani I'll have money next time." She said. Koda nodded obediently, but looked sad. "Take care kiddo." She said, stealing one more kiss from his forehead and sprinting down the street and to the bar where she would prepare for her night shift.


	4. Chapter 3: The Peacemaker

**CHAPTER THREE: The Peacemaker**

"Are you sure you want to do this Prince Zuko?" Iroh asked for the millionth time since they'd left the apartment. Zuko growled out a "yes" and pulled the black cloak tighter over his head as they made their way into the seedy bar.

Zuko had been thinking all day long. Where would a girl like Zasha be hiding? It would have to be someplace filthy, someplace dangerous, and someplace as infamous as she was. He'd asked around the customers in the teashop and all of them had said the same thing: The Black Dragon Fighting Society. Apparently it was the most crime infested, forsaken place in all of Ba Sing Se. She _had_ to be here somewhere.

"I do not think that they serve tea here." Iroh rambled as they skulked up to the bar and took their seats. Zuko kept his head down and wished that his uncle would shut up before he got them into trouble.

"Can I get you anything?" asked a grizzly bartender with one arm.

"I'm looking for somebody. A bounty hunter. Her name is Zasha. Do you know her?" Zuko said, not raising his voice beyond a low growl. The bartender gasped and several other people stared at him with wide, concerned eyes.

"Sh! You don't call her that here! At this place, she's known only as the Peacemaker." The bartender said in a hushed tone, leaning closer to Zuko. "Why would you be _looking_ for somebody like her? Most people are running from her."

"I have my reasons. So she works her?." He said, wanting to make sure they were on the same page. "Do you know where I might find her?"

"Yeah. That's her over there." He said gesturing to his far right. While Zuko was looking over, he left to go help other customers.

He saw a girl in tight, short black dress and long hair pulled back in a ponytail. He recognized her scar and her confident body language at once. She was surveying the bar, scaring and infatuating every man she so much as glanced at. He wondered why they were making such a big fuss over her. She didn't seem too dangerous.

"Hey, do those legs of yours come deep-fried?" asked a very drunken patron. Zuko held his breath as Zasha turned to face him.

"Excuse me, I don't think I heard you correctly?" she asked politely. The drunkard cleared his throat loudly. The bar fell incredibly still as they waited to see what she would do next.

"I said, 'do those legs come deep fried'?" he repeated, sounding slightly agitated. Zasha pursed her lips.

"That's what I thought you said." she said with a nod.

Then, within seconds, she kicked his chair out from under him. He fell flat on his back and she stepped on his throat, glaring down at him with a loathsome intensity.

"You need to learn some manors." She snarled. She stepped off his throat and picked him up by the shirt collar. In a humiliating and entertaining act of feminism, she literally threw him out of the door.

"Stay out of my bar!" she shouted to the man before slamming the door shut. She returned to her watchful post with some applause from everybody expect Iroh and Zuko who wee too busy watching. As she walked by she noticed that the disrespectful man had left his wallet. Zuko spotted her quickly pocket it and sit back down.

"This is her bar?" Zuko asked the bartender when he returned. He shrugged.

"Might as well be. She runs this place, keeps people in line. That's why we call her the Peacemaker." The bartender smiled. Zuko scoffed, but kept on watching her like a hawk.

****

"Peacemaker, your shift is over. You may head back to your dressing room." Whispered the bar's owner, Mi. Zasha sighed and got up. There'd hardly been any action tonight.

"Thank you. Have somebody bring meat for Nala and some coffee and cigarettes to my room." She said flatly. She glanced over at Zuko. She had been watching him out of the corner of her eye all night long, expecting him to do something stupid or rash. But he had stayed put the entire time, much to her disappointment.

"Yes ma'am. Is there anything else I can get for you?" he stammered as he followed her back to her room. She shook her head and put her hand on the doorknob. Her door had a metal star with the words "Madame Peacemaker" carved into it. She smiled every time she saw it. This was the only place she got any respect.

"Two men have requested to speak with you privately ma'am. Shall I send them in?" he asked. She knew exactly whom he was talking about.

"No. I'm feeling rather tired tonight and I do not want any customers." She lied. She wasn't tired at all. She simply wanted to test Zuko to see how far he was willing to go to get in touch with her again.

"Yes ma'am. Goodnight ma'am." Mi nodded fervently. Zasha closed the door sharply and stretched out on her lounge chair. Nala, who had been snoozing peacefully under her vanity, got up and placed herself at her master's feet.

"Oh Nala, mommy really does love this place." She sighed happily. She made good money, was able to do what she was best at and she was treated like royalty. She rolled onto her side and looked into the mirror on the vanity.

Gingerly, Zasha reached up and touched the scar that defined some of her worst memories. There was a loud knock on her door and Nala started to bark, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Good girl Nala, telling mommy when she had visitors." She praised, petting and kissing Nala on the head. Zasha got up and walked to the door, opening the slot where she could see out. She recognized a scarred pair of amber eyes immediately.

"Who let you back here? I told them no customers." She said sharply.

"We need to talk. _Now_." Zuko growled. Zasha sighed and slammed the slot closed before unlocking and opening her door. She saw that Zuko had Mi by the collar of his apron. He looked terrified, but was holding a teapot full of coffee, a plate with a raw steak and a box of cigarettes.

"I'm so sorry ma'am, I had no choice but to let them in." he pleaded with her, his voice wobbling in a terrified manor, as if she meant to strike him. She brushed it off and took the three parcels he was holding.

"That will be all." She said, ushering him out. She locked the door behind her and walked over to the small table next to her dresser. "Please, have a seat." She said to Iroh and Zuko as she poured herself a cup of black coffee and pulled a cigarette out of the box.

"Can I interest you two in some coffee, or perhaps a cigarette?" she asked, glancing over at the two who were sitting nervously at her tea table.

"No cigarettes, we do not smoke. Do you have any tea-?" Iroh began. Zasha placed a small porcelain cup of coffee in front of him before he could finish.

"Zuko?" she asked, eyeing him slyly. He shook his head. Iroh took a sip of the black concoction and nearly gagged. Zasha put her own cup down and lit her cigarette before putting it into a long holder and sitting down. She took a long drag before speaking.

"So, what can I do you, darlings?" she purred, blowing smoke in the faces of her two guests. Zuko glowered, not wanting to be called "darling". They both began to hack and cough, waving the smoke away. It was obvious they were not used to it.

"We're looking for a bounty hunter." Zuko said in a hushed growl. Zasha smiled.

"You've come to the right girl. Whom exactly will I be tracking?" she asked, taking another drag and blowing three smoke rings. Nala came over and rested her big dumb head on Zasha's knee. Zasha stroked her black fur absently while waiting for Zuko to reply.

"The Avatar." He stated. Zasha bit the inside of her right cheek.

"Do you have any scent samples for Nala? I'm sure she could track him down." She asked, throwing a loving and confident smile in her pooch's direction. Zuko shook his head.

"We've already tried tracking him. He's a master at evasive maneuvers." Zuko explained.

"Let me guess, you went to June?" Zasha said with an eye roll. She smirked at the thought of Nyla fighting with that giant bison thing.

"You know her?" he asked, seeming shocked.

"Of course. We went to school together, she's my best friend. I haven't seen her in quite some time, though." Zasha said. Zuko blinked and Zasha got back to business.

"I've heard rumors of him being on Ba Sing Se. I need help finding him." Zuko said darkly.

"You've heard correctly. And finding the brat won't be a problem. I know where he's residing at the moment." She informed them. Zuko seemed slightly impressed by this.

"The hard part is going to be fighting and capturing the little misfit and his motley crew." She pointed out. "But I haven't had a challenge fighting anybody in a long, long time. I'm looking forward to see what he has in store for Nala and me."

"You think you can fight and capture the Avatar?" Zuko asked disbelievingly. Zasha scoffed and took a big sip of her coffee.

"I _know_ I can." She said cockily. "The real question is, what will you be useful for? This twelve year old must be smarter and stronger than you to have him out smart you so many times." Zuko's temper flared and he fought to keep a level head.

"He isn't half the man I am!" Zuko flared. Zasha rolled her eyes and took another drag off her cigarette.

"Oh, quit your yelling." She ordered. She looked Iroh and Zuko over, assuming by their less than humble clothing that they didn't have much money.

"There is one more question I need you to answer." She said, twirling the now empty coffee cup in her hand.

"And what exactly is that?" Zuko asked.

"What's in it for me?"


End file.
